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Friendly nudge prompts 40 per cent to visit GP

More than a third (40 per cent) of people say talking to a friend or relative about a change to their body that was playing on their mind encouraged them to make an appointment with a GP, according to a new survey from Cancer Research UK.*

Of these, men were most likely to be given a push by their other halves with nearly three quarters (72 per cent) saying their partner urged them to go whereas just over half (58 per cent) of women said the same.

Mums also play a pivotal role with nearly a third (29 per cent) of those asked saying it was their mothers who prompted them to make an appointment.

The online survey of more than 4,200 adults was carried out by YouGov for Cancer Research UK and Tesco who have just launched a new online video campaign to raise awareness about the importance of talking to your GP about any unusual or persistent changes to your body.

The light-hearted two minute film uses humour to increase awareness of the huge improvements in cancer survival rates since the 1970s. Today, in the UK, you are twice as likely to survive cancer compared to 40 years ago.

Dr Chris Steele from ITV’s This Morning is backing the campaign and said: “As a cancer survivor myself I know how daunting it can feel to take that first step and visit a GP when there’s something that’s been playing on your mind. Often talking to someone close to you about it first can give you a much needed prompt to take action.

“It’s really important that we all get to know our bodies and get any unusual or persistent changes checked out. The chances are it won’t be cancer, but if it is, getting it diagnosed and treated at an early stage can make a real difference.”

As well as running an in store awareness campaign making Cancer Research UK leaflets about spotting cancer early accessible to millions of customers, Tesco aims to raise £10million this year to fund 32 early diagnosis research projects across the UK.

Dr Claire Knight, health information manager at Cancer Research UK said: “Sometimes we need a bit of a nudge to make an appointment with a GP about any unusual or persistent changes to our bodies. And as our survey shows men in particular tend to speak to their other halves first before seeing their doctor.

“Cancer is most common in the over 50s, but men and women of all ages who notice a change that’s hung around for a few weeks should get it checked out by a doctor. More than likely it won’t be anything to worry about but if it is cancer, spotting it in its earlier stages often makes treatment more successful, meaning the chances of recovering are much better.”

Ashley Sheppard, 51, from Worcestershire was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2002 after his wife Alison, 38, encouraged him to go to the doctor. He successfully underwent radiotherapy and surgery and is back at work.

He said: "Before I was diagnosed, I’d seen my doctor as I had some bloating, diarrhoea and constipation and, after a thorough examination, he concluded I had IBS.

"Some months later the symptoms returned, worse than before and I had some bleeding when I went to the toilet.

“I discussed this with my wife Alison who is a nurse and she suggested I go back to the doctor. I was reluctant but after seeing an article in a magazine she was reading about bowel cancer, which listed the symptoms, I decided to take her advice.

“Following tests, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. I was fortunate that radiotherapy and surgery were successful and in my case they had caught the cancer early.

“Incredibly despite being told the radiotherapy would make me infertile we have gone on to have two more daughters.”

To watch the video and find out why you are more likely to survive cancer if it’s found at an early stage, visit: www.cruk.org/spotcancerearly

ENDS

For media enquiries contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 8315 or, out of hours, on 07050 264 059.

Notes to Editor

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total weighted sample size was 4215 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th -12th November 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Cancer Research UK is Tesco’s Charity of the Year 2012 and together we hope to raise £10million to fund 32 early diagnosis and detection research projects across the UK. This will help more people survive cancer and keep more families together www.cancerresearchuk.org/tesco

Tesco Charity of the Year - Since 1988, Tesco has chosen a different charity every year to be the focus for staff fundraising. The Tesco Charity Trust tops up staff fundraising by 20%, up to a maximum of £500,000. www.tesco.com

The partnership will be supported throughout the year by a range of product promotions in Tesco stores which will carry a donation to the charity. A donation of 0.0125p will also be made by Tesco Personal Finance PLC every time a cash machine is used at Tesco until 29 February 2012. Clubcard customers can now donate their points to CRUK.

Tesco is committed to helping the nation fight cancer and since 2000 has raised over £30 million to help a range of UK cancer charities to deliver services in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for people in communities across the UK. In 2010, Tesco raised a record breaking £7.5 million in one year to ensure every child being treated for cancer in the UK had access to a Clic Sargent children’s cancer nurse. In addition, Tesco has recently funded a pilot nutrition project with the University College London Hospital (UCLH) to improve access to free food for teenagers receiving treatment for cancer in hospital, helping them to avoid developing cachexia. Tesco are in the business of ensuring people have good, nutritious food and are therefore in a unique position to help people who suffer from weight loss and muscle wasting as a result of their cancer treatment.

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Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666) and the Isle of Man (1103). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: Angel Building, 407 St John Street, London EC1V 4AD.